PM Modi to virtually flag off ‘Ganga Vilas’ cruise on Jan 13

Varanasi: World's longest river cruise ‘Ganga Vilas’, which will travel 3,200 km in 50 days, will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conference on January 13. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who will be present in Kashi to attend the function, will later inaugurate the tent city.
Talking to TOI on Thursday, divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said, “The PM will flag off Varanasi-Dibrugarh river ship ‘Ganga Vilas’ through video conferencing on January 13 while CM and Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal will be present at the flag off ceremony at Ravidas Ghat.”
With the flagging off, Ganga Vilas will leave for Dibrugarh with 33 tourists including 32 from Switzerland and one from Germany. The world's longest voyage by Ganga Vilas- a vessel measuring 62.5 m (length), 12.8 m (width) and 1.35 m (draft)- will be covering a distance of 3,200 kms by passing through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh and stopping at over 50 architecturally important places, including world heritage sites, to reach Dibrugarh in 50 days. The vessel will also pass through national parks and sanctuaries including the Sundarbans Delta and Kaziranga National Park.
To review preparations for the ceremony, the commissioner along with district magistrate S Rajalingam, officials of Inland Waterways Authority of India, tourism and other departments inspected Ravidas Ghat on Wednesday. Proposed project of launch of world's longest voyage by a single river ship will bring India and Bangladesh on the world's river cruise map, apart from opening new horizon of tourism in the Indian subcontinent.
This flag off ceremony would be followed by formal inauguration of tent city on the sand bed of opposite bank of river Ganga. Sharma said that the CM will inaugurate the tent city. Sharma along with other officials also took stock of the tent city on Wednesday to review progress in works.
According to Varanasi Development Authority’s vice-chairman Abhishek Goyal, booking of accommodation have been opened online on the official website of tent city Varanasi apart from other tour and travel sites and also offline. Accommodation in tent city will become available from January 15.